LOS ANGELES - Tuesday marks the 15th anniversary of the day that Los Angeles Lakers superstar and eventual Hall of Famer Magic Johnson announced he was HIV-positive.

NBC4's Dr. Bruce Hensel said that some people believe Johnson has survived because he could afford the medicines needed to combat the incurable disease.

But, Hensel says, it's far more complex than that.

"Because of the HIV virus I have attained I will have to retire from the Lakers today," Johnson said on Nov. 7, 1991.

Many people worried that Johnson would wither away after the shocking announcement. Instead, he has stayed healthy and become prosperous as a businessman and community developer and leader.

While it helped that Johnson could afford the best medicines available, Craig Thompson, the executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles, said that people's survival, including his own, depends on much more.

"It's been over 20 years ago that I've known I'm HIV-positive. I think I've done well because I've had access to good health care. I've had access to a supportive environment and I've been extremely lucky," Thompson said.

Although luck still plays a role, we know that people diagnosed years before Johnson had fewer options.

Brenda Freiberg lost both of her sons to AIDS. Brett was diagnosed when he was 25 years old in '86. Michael was diagnosed a year later when he was 22. They were infected early on when the medicines just weren't there.

But much has changed since Michael and Brett's deaths and Johnson's announcement.  The number of people infected per year hit its peak at 161,000 in 1986. Presently it's at 40,000 per year.

Johnson is far from alone. There are 1.1 million people who are now living with HIV or AIDS. The latest medicines are still part of the reason. Johnson is proof of another early diagnosis.

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Hensel said the people living with the disease can now be monitored and followed and be put on treatment when they need it.

Which is why people need to get regular checkups and everyone should practice safe sex and get periodic testing. It can make the difference between life and death.

Hensel said the poor and women are still getting infected and remaining untreated in alarming numbers.

The Aids Project Los Angeles (APLA) works to get everyone the care they need. Getting tested and getting early care is the key to survival.

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